Stable Isotopic Evidence for Nutrient Rejuvenation and Long-Term Resilience on Tikopia Island (Southeast Solomon Islands)

Jillian A. Swift, Patrick V. Kirch, Jana Ilgner, Samantha Brown, Mary Lucas, Sara Marzo and Patrick Roberts
Additional contact information
Jillian A. Swift: Anthropology Department, Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum, Honolulu, HI 96817, USA
Patrick V. Kirch: Department of Anthropology, University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, Honolulu, HI 96822, USA
Jana Ilgner: Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
Samantha Brown: Institute for Archaeological Sciences, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
Mary Lucas: Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
Sara Marzo: Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany
Patrick Roberts: Department of Archaeology, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human History, 07745 Jena, Germany

Sustainability, 2021, vol. 13, issue 15, 1-19

Abstract: Tikopia Island, a small and relatively isolated Polynesian Outlier in the Southeast Solomon Islands, supports a remarkably dense human population with minimal external support. Examining long-term trends in human land use on Tikopia through archaeological datasets spanning nearly 3000 years presents an opportunity to investigate pathways to long-term sustainability in a tropical island setting. Here, we trace nutrient dynamics across Tikopia’s three pre-European contact phases (Kiki, Sinapupu, Tuakamali) via stable carbon and nitrogen isotope analysis of commensal Pacific rat ( Rattus exulans ) and domestic pig ( Sus scrofa ) bone and tooth dentine collagen. Our results show a decline in δ 15 N values from the Kiki (c. 800 BC-AD 100) to Sinapupu (c. AD 100–1200) phases, consistent with long-term commensal isotope trends observed on other Polynesian islands. However, increased δ 15 N coupled with lower δ 13 C values in the Tuakamali Phase (c. AD 1200–1800) point to a later nutrient rejuvenation, likely tied to dramatic transformations in agriculture and land use at the Sinapupu-Tuakamali transition. This study offers new, quantifiable evidence for deep-time land and resource management decisions on Tikopia and subsequent impacts on island nutrient status and long-term sustainability.

Keywords: stable isotopes; archaeology; commensals; nutrient flows; Polynesia; land use; ecomimicry (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: O13 Q Q0 Q2 Q3 Q5 Q56 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2021
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (1)

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